


Auto-Pilot

by Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: Fairytales and Nightmares: Prices to be Paid [3]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Alternate Universe, GFY, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-30
Updated: 2010-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-12 23:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donna stood in the doorway of the study, her dressing gown wrapped tightly around her, and a rugby bat in one hand. Staring at the man sprawled across one of her comfy chairs, his eyes closed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Auto-Pilot

"Koschei?" Donna stood in the doorway of the study, her dressing gown wrapped tightly around her, and a rugby bat in one hand. Staring at the man sprawled across one of her comfy chairs, his eyes closed.

Koschei opened one eye, meeting her gaze, exhaustion in the lines of his face, a darkness in his eyes that hadn't been there the last time Donna had seen him. Darkness and brightness and something just not right.

She lifted the rugby bat a little higher, and he closed his eyes again, his head tipping back against the chair, a soft chuckle escaping him.

"Yes, Donna, it's me. And do me a favor, and _stay away_."

Donna shivered at the chilly intensity in his voice, and resisted the urge to take a step back. To get further away from him. Forced herself to take a step further into the room, despite the soft snarl he made at the sound of her slippers on the polished wood.

"What happened to you? Romana said you couldn't come back." She kept the bat at the ready, no matter that it was tiring. "And you look different."

"Yet still she doesn't listen when I say to stay away from me." Koschei shifted in the chair, lifting one hand to rub at his temple, his eyes opening again. "They changed me, Donna. And I'm not here to take you on another adventure. In fact, I really don't know what possessed me to come here."

Donna met his gaze, refusing to back down from the darkness in his eyes. "Better here than some other places, if you're going to go mad. Only one other person I know who'll smack you when you need it, and she's in need of a good smacking herself." Which she had delivered personally.

Koschei laughed, the sound rough, almost a sob. "Oh, Donna, Donna, delightful Donna. Please, my dear, sweet, beautiful woman." He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling a moment, shrouded in shadows. "Demons of the distant past rip a hole in my psyche again, and I auto-pilo to the one woman who doesn't have the sense to run away screaming."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut it, space-man!" She set the bat down against one of the shelves, and reached for the nearest light-switch. And promptly yelped, staring past Koschei. "What. The bloody _hell_. Is that?"

"Solisan. Ahrya. Toclafane. Fairytale and nightmare, and the only decent individual among her people."

"Right." Donna snorted, giving Koschei a disbelieving look. "I'll take your word that it's a nightmare, and for the name, but the rest of it?" She frowned, looking over Koschei's shoulder again, an uneasy feeling rolling down her spine. "I don't trust her one bit."

"She got me free, Donna." Koschei sighed, closing his eyes as a flash of pain crossed his face. "Bloody hell," he muttered.

"What? What is it, Koschei?" Donna gave Solisan another glare as she walked over to put a hand beneath Koschei's chin, tilting his face to make him look at her. "Tell me what's wrong, Koschei."

"Just a headache." Koschei met her gaze evenly, something swirling in their depths a moment. "Nothing to worry about, Donna." He reached a hand towards her temple, a soft smile on his face.

"Oh, no you don't!" Donna smacked his hand away, glaring at him. "Don't you go trying to get into my head, mister, I won't have that." She let his chin go, giving him a stern look. "Up you go, now, and right to the kitchen with you. A cuppa and some paracetamol to take care of that headache, and then to bed, and sleep."

"Yes, mother." Koschei gave her a small, mocking smile, bowing his head slightly without taking his gaze off her eyes. "I'll do my best."

Donna narrowed her eyes. "Kitchen, now, space-man." She paused, and held out her hand. "Remote and your keys to your TARDIS. No way you're getting to drive right now. Or sneak off in the middle of the night."

He hestitated, a scowl on his face a moment before he sighed, closing his eyes again, a cloud crossing his expression. A moment later, he emptied the contents of his pockets onto her desk, smiling gently at her. "Lock them where I can't get to them, Donna. It's better that way. For all of us."

"Why?" Donna scooped up the items as she asked the question, glad her dressing gown had large pockets. She made a mental note to ask Romana to get her something with dimensionally transcendent pockets next time the female Time Lord showed her face.

"Trust me, Donna. Just trust me." Koschei smiled sadly, and headed for the kitchen, the shadow-and-light figure of Solisan close behind him.

Donna watched him walk away, a frown on her face. "Oh, I trust you," she muttered. "It's that ugly little shadow you've acquired I don't trust."


End file.
